Catch up on the Ninja A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
The Ninja A-League 2025-26 season continued with plenty of entertainment and drama over the weekend.
There were plenty of top performers to pick from this week but it was Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper Annalee Grove who scored highest after making a whopping eight saves as she helped her side defeat rivals Newcastle Jets in the F3 Derby.
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*Editor’s Note: The Team of the Week features matches played from Monday to Sunday, meaning several teams may have played multiple matches during the allotted window.
Team of the Week
Grove isn’t the only Mariner included in this week’s Team of the Week as she’s joined by midfielder Peta Trimis – who bagged a goal and an assist in the win over Newcastle.
Joining Trimis in the midfield is Perth Glory’s Emma Tovar after she scored in her side’s win over the Wanderers whilst Melbourne City maestro Leticia McKenna is selected once again.
Central Coast striker Annalise Rasmussen is becoming something of a regular in the Team of the Week and she gets selected once again after scoring the winning goal against the Jets and is now the outright leader in the race for the Golden Boot.
Alongside Rasmussen in attack are Newcastle striker Kelli Brown and Perth Glory’s Susan Phonsongkham, both of whom scored at the weekend!
Meanwhile the defence consists of players from four different clubs this week as Perth Glory’s Tijan McKenna, Adelaide United centre back Matilda McNamara, Sydney FC full back Abbey Lemon and Brisbane Roar’s Marianna Seidl all feature.
What is the Opta Points system?
Opta Points is a system where points are given to players for certain on-field actions. Players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points. (View the full breakdown of Opta Points below).
Explained: Opta’s Team of the Week using Opta Points
The scoring system distinguishes only between field players and goalkeepers, assigning the same number of points to all field players for corresponding actions. A distinctive feature of this system is its exclusive focus on in-game actions, refraining from awarding points for post-game performances, such as securing a victory or allocating bonus points for maintaining a clean sheet.
Positive actions (goals, passes, tackles, etc…) will add to a player’s score and, conversely, negative actions (cards, own goals, goals conceded) will reduce a player’s points total. Theoretically, a player’s points value is unlimited, and players can conclude a game with negative points. However, players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points.
Goals, Shots on target, shots off target, blocked shots, own goal, assists, passes, crosses, tackles, interceptions, fouls won, fouls conceded, offsides, yellow cards, red cards, goals conceded, penalty won, saves, penalty saved are included in Opta Points.
